Online Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Pilot Controlled Trial

The study aimed to provide a preliminary evaluation of the acceptability and effectiveness of online eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) compared with a waitlist control (WLC). A pilot nonrandomized controlled trial was conducted. Eighteen adults experiencing chronic pain completed the study (nEMDR = 10; ncontrol = 8). The intervention group received up to 10 weekly sessions of online EMDR. The control group received treatment as usual. Participants completed baseline and post-intervention measures assessing posttraumatic stress, pain severity, interference, and catastroph- izing, and depression levels. Additionally, the online EMDR group participants provided feedback on intervention acceptability and satisfaction. The online EMDR group demonstrated significant reductions in both trauma and pain-related outcomes; depression levels did not significantly change. No signif- icant change was observed in any outcome within the control group. After the WLC also received the intervention, additional analysis results demonstrated similar effects but did not reach statisti- cal significance, except for depression. Overall, online EMDR appeared acceptable and positively received by participants. The study provides preliminary support that online delivery of EMDR may reduce trauma-and pain-related outcomes in individuals experiencing chronic pain. Further large-scale research is warranted to substantiate these findings. Limitations and implications are discussed. REC ref: 2020/HCSREC/04